Christian Wolfarth percussion

Donat Fisch - alto und tenorsaxophone
Christian Wolfarth - percussion

"Drummer Christian Wolfarth and saxophonist Donat Fisch first recorded in this formation more than ten years ago. Circle & Line 2 is the Swiss duo's reunion and a unique free jazz achievement. It is a challenging format, requiring extraordinary creative effort to maintain variety and interest. When master musicians like Anthony Braxton and Max Roach approached it, the result was an unstructured exchange between very different musical comfort zones. Even when Wolfarth and Fisch released their original Circle & Line (Unit Records) in 1999, it was more in the experimental vein with eighteen short and freer-standing pieces. 
Wolfarth utilizes every part of the drum kit but doesn't attempt to throw the whole lot into any of the nine tracks. On "Merlodie," he brushes the cymbals to create an ambient background countering Fisch's blues-influenced lines. "Maria's Blues" is dominated by tom-toms creating a subtle Afro-Latin background that at first contrasts Fisch's long lines before the two seem to absorb each other's sound. Wolfarth supplies a staccato beat from the snare or concentrates on the rim at various points. The collective effect is a diversity of sound responsible for maintaining a high level of interest throughout the set."

Karl Ackermann (All about Jazz, April 2021) 

"...While Fisch's focus is on the melodic tones of his alto and tenor saxophones, Wolfarth is a marvel. A constant inventor, Wolfarth almost always has something worthwhile to say. His skittish percussive traces scatter on the initial offering of "Stalo," while eerie cymbal experiments shade "Merlodie," hand drums in the mode of the great Satoshi Takeshi sparks the joyous "Für Christian," and the oddly creative tinklings of "Desmond" color Fisch's glorious tenor. What makes this such a special and notable outing is the fact that, while guided in the spirit of improvisation, the relatively brief running time offers focused realms that make each note and drum stroke count."

Jay Collins (Cadence, 2010)